If you haven’t been following politics for the past decade, totalitarianism has been in vogue. Seeing the trend, racing jumped on the bandwagon. Motorsport’s global governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, voted on Thursday to end its three-term limit on the organization’s president. While the 70-year-old age limit is still in place, President Mohammed Ben Sulayem plans to abolish it as well.
The decision to allow Ben Sulayem to potentially serve as FIA President for life was approved by an absurdly overwhelming majority at the FIA General Assembly in Macau. according to bbcOver 90% of the FIA’s 245 member clubs voted in favor of the proposal. The governing body claimed the decision was made to bring the rules for its highest office in line with other key FIA positions with recently abolished term limits, such as chair of its anti-doping and F1 cost-cap committees. Personally, if continuity were the goal I would reinstate term limits. In a statement after the verdict, the 64-year-old said:
“The decisions approved by our members here today reflect the continued progress we are making together as a federation.”
“Through strong governance, financial discipline and a clear long-term vision, we are building an FIA that is better equipped to support our members, strengthen our championships and grow motorsport and mobility around the world.”
The FIA appears to have been unable to provide any reasonable explanation for its expiration. A spokesperson for the organization compared him to Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League since 2006. Structurally the FIA is the furthest thing from the NFL. First, Goodell is an employee of the league. If a majority of the league’s 32 owners want to fire Goodell, he will be fired. Goodell’s tenure has been so long because he constantly negotiated media rights deals, which currently generate $11 billion annually. If this number ever comes down, he will be on the hot seat.
Ben Sulayem’s power stems from the FIA’s long-running feud with F1
Ben Sulayem will never have the success Goodell has, no matter how long he is in charge. The FIA does not control the commercial rights to Formula 1. When the organization agreed to a 100 year lease With Bernie Ecclestone in 2001, it effectively handed over its potential cash cow forever for a total of just $360 million. This is a paltry sum compared to the $3.9 billion annual revenue generated by F1 today under Liberty Media’s ownership.
As F1 continues to enjoy unprecedented commercial success, the FIA is still contractually obliged to run the World Championship under the same conditions. Since becoming FIA president in December 2021, Ben Sulayem has argued that the FIA does not get its fair share from the rights holder. The cost of running F1 has increased greatly over the past 25 years, as the championship has expanded from 17 to 24 rounds and now includes financial regulations. However, this is not all common sense rules. He attempted to ban swearing throughout the game and prevent any opposition to the 2025 election for his second term.
The hostility between F1 and the FIA certainly boosted Ben Sulayem’s popularity within the governing body. In opposition to Liberty Media, he supported Cadillac’s bid to join F1 because an additional team meant more revenue for the FIA through entry and super license fees. A whistleblower also accused him of attempting to cancel the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix by fraudulently withholding circuit certification. Ultimately they got another important victory as Liberty agreed to increase its contribution to the FIA in 2025. With this mandate, Ben Sulayem wants to determine the future of Formula 1.
